Many of the freshmen serving in the 112th Congress were elected last November riding a wave of Tea Party activism, fueled in part by frustration over out-of-control government spending. No facile cuts will erase a decade of steady growth in the debt as a percentage of GDP or the particularly disastrous past two years, in which total discretionary spending soared from $1.2 trillion to $1.4 trillion and mandatory spending jumped from $2.1 trillion to $2.2 trillion. But they have to start somewhere. As Rep. Allen West (R-FL) told us, “It takes five miles to turn an aircraft carrier. If we don’t start now, we will never get this ship that is the U.S.S. America righted.”

Gas prices have more than doubled since President Obama took office. And while the media has been slow to demand answers of the President, he has been busy trying to deflect attention away from his incoherent energy policy with a number of gas price-related myths. Our latest video takes several of these myths head on and puts them to rest. From overstating the impact of green energy to downplaying the devastating impact of his drilling moratorium, the President should spend less time trying to deflect criticism and more time working to ease pain at the pump.

Gibson Guitar is an American icon. Musicians ranging from blues legend B.B. King to rock stars with Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith have used its guitars. Today, however, the guitar maker is facing a high-profile persecution from its own government. The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing a case that smacks of overcriminalization.

In 2006, when Indiana small-business owner Scott Womack purchased a development agreement to expand his IHOP franchise into Ohio, he had no idea Congress would pass a massive overhaul of the health care system four years later. Today, one year after that legislative overhaul became law, Womack is very aware of Obamacare — and of its effects on his plans for growth.

In 1997 three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser was convicted of a federal crime that exposed him to a $5,000 fine and a six month prison sentence. What did Unser do that so angered the federal government? He got lost in a blizzard. That’s it.

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) has provoked the ire of labor union leaders in Wisconsin, but he’s not alone. Governors across America are confronting budget shortfalls — and looking to public employees to help make up the difference. To tell the story, Heritage partnered with Reason.tv to showcase how states were grappling with the problem and what the consequences would be for public employees.

This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s birth. A man of many talents and accomplishments, his sense of humor and contagious optimism are perhaps most missed today as our nation faces a host of difficult challenges. As we recall in our new video celebrating his birthday, when Reagan took office our nation was in a similarly precarious situation. With high unemployment and inflation at home and the looming threat of communism abroad, America was at a crossroads. But in the face of all these obstacles, President Reagan rose to the challenge. He firmly believed in America’s unique role in the world and was confident that America’s best days were ahead of it.

Inside the Wisconsin governor’s mansion its chief tenant remains calm and resolute. The Badger State’s budget will be balanced, Gov. Scott Walker (R) assured The Heritage Foundation in a one-on-one interview. The stakes in Wisconsin are high not just here, but across America.

A helpful primer on the rise government unions and the monopoly power given to them through collective bargaining. Along with our helpful factsheet on the subject, they form a powerful tool to combat misinformation and educate friends and family about what is at stake in Wisconsin.

The fight in Wisconsin’s capital is marked by a fundamental disagreement over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal. Protesters claim it’s a blatant assault on labor unions, while the governor’s supporters say it’s about government spending, plain and simple. The Heritage Foundation sent a team to Wisconsin to report on the action.

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